The Eden Complex
by ElixirOfHappiness
Summary: AU: Troublemaking duo, Ino and Deidara have lived a hard life on streets ever since their abusive, god-fearing families rejected them. One day, they witness an argument between the son of a wealthy businessman and the heiress to a fortune. For two sinners, they see this as an opportunity to snatch the last ticket to Paradise.
1. Prologue

**The Eden Complex**

"In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.

And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness…"

"Unless you're atheist. In that case, God didn't do jack shit."

She rolled her eyes. "I know someone else who doesn't do jack shit…"

"Yeah well that's different. At least I'm real. The realest in fact." he announced proudly.

"Uh huh." she turned back to the book in her lap.

"Listen sweetheart, before you take that sarcastic tone with me, let me give you the alternative facts to this little story."

"What?"

"You heard me. The Bible is all wrong. Genesis is the wrongest of them all."

"Who cares? It's just a story to you."

"Stories can be rewritten, ya know."

"Not in my world." she countered.

"Oh baby, you don't know what you're missing out. It's not fun without a few more interesting details." he whispered close to her ear in a low, breathy voice.

She pushed his face away and grimaced as he threw back his head, laughing at her discomfort. "Gross. And I'm not your baby."

"Who cares? It's just a nickname." he imitated her previous tone and then smiled innocently.

Her eyes narrowed in annoyance. "You little piece of shi-" but he threw a pillow at her head and muffled out the rest of her sentence.

"Quiet. Father is speaking." he imitated her mother's condescending tone and cleared his throat before reciting in a priest-like voice, "In the beginning, there was Darkness. Then that fucker Light had to show up. That's when all the problems started; God was enthralled by the fact that he could finally see through the Darkness and created the moon, stars, the sea, the earth along with all that other bullcrap we don't fully comprehend even to this day. Then came his biggest mistake. He made living things. Things that move, communicate, breed and annoy the fuck out of you. Man and Woman were the most annoying out of these various creatures."

"Oh well you're definitely one of those." she whispered under her breath

"Shh, honey, don't interrupt. As I was saying, Man and Woman were the world's first bratty kids. They took everything from the other adorable little animals and colonised the Garden of Eden. The world's first British Empire."

She couldn't help but laugh at that.

He continued, "The angel Lucifer was particularly pissed that his father was favouring those two idiots before him and decided to play a little game. So he told pretty little Eve that the Forbidden Apple Tree™ would open up a whole new world of fun to her. One that the Father liked to keep all to himself. And so, just like all good little girls eventually do, she gave in to the temptation of eating that ripe, juicy, swollen-"

"I'm gonna stop you right there." she covered his mouth with one beautifully manicured hand, "If you're going to recreate the whole story, you might as well include the first feminist icon in the whole of creation."

He scratched his head, mildly confused, "Beyonce?"

She whacked him with a nearby calculator, "No dumbass. I meant Lilith."

"Who's that?"

"Well according to Jewish mythology, she was the first Eve."

"She's not the first Eve if her name is Lilith." he piped up.

"You love to ruin things, don't you?" she muttered through gritted teeth.

"Okay, okay I'll shut up. So spill, what do you think would happen?"

"According to the Jewish tale of-"

He cut her off, "Make it up, Ino. I don't care what Wikipedia told you."

"Fine." she spat, "Adam had performance issues and so Lilith left him for another man."

"But Adam is the only man on Earth."

"Well then God created a second man."

"That would be Adam and Eve's son."

"Oh you would love a disgusting twist like that, wouldn't you, you creep?"

He nodded approvingly, "Scandalous. I live off shit like that. So what happens after that? Does Lilith get punished for being a bad bad girl?" he waggled his eyebrows.

"In your dreams, Deidara."

"Well then, I have some hot nights to look forward to." he winked at her.


	2. Chapter 1: Before the Fall

**Chapter 1: Before the Fall**

It was a warm night considering the fact that it was the middle of September. Although Ino was content with the recent weather, she still preferred the climate around May-time, when spring was on the brink of falling into gorgeous hot summer days. At least then she didn't need to wear her already-torn navy-blue parka, the only mildly warm item of clothing she currently possessed which would last her through the winter.

As she walked down the street, her cheap yet stylish lace heels clacked in time with her long black hair which crisply swished side to side each time her feet made contact with the pavement. Already, she could feel heads turning to look in her direction. Although this was the intended effect, Ino had to resist the urge to want to run away and hide. She knew there were no gentlemen or ladies here. Not in this part of the city at least.

Nonetheless, she found what she was looking for. Members of the Blue Scorpion. There was no doubt about it, they all wore black caps with their scorpion insignia.

"Hey sweetheart!" yelled a bulky man in the group as she was passing, "Come over and we'll treat you right for sure."

Ino stopped walking and gave him well-practiced innocent stutter, "Oh, n-no thank you. I-I don't drink."

That earned her a lecherous smile from him and the rest of his friends, who began to walk towards her. The fact that she stopped to answer them indicated that she was easy prey for them. No girl who knew what men like them were capable of would be bold enough to even spare them a look.

"Oh come on." another one slid an arm around her waist, "A nice girl like you should be treated to something equally as nice."

She feigned bashfulness, "I-I'm n-not a n-n-nice girl."

The men laughed at her meek stutters, "Oh really? Well how about you show us what a naughty girl you can be?" the man began to unzip her blue parka.

"Hold on!" she squeaked, loudly enough to stop them in their tracks. "I-I'm feeling rather c-cold. W-would you l-like to continue at m-my house?"

They had clearly never been made such a proposition before and were not smart enough to suspect that something was off about this scenario. Normally they would have her fearfully screaming for help by now.

But the offer was so tempting and Ino's face was the picture of sincerity. There was no way she could escape from all of them anyways.

"Alright then." replied the bulky man who was clearly their leader. "Let's have some fun at your place."

Ino smiled and turned, "F-follow me…" _Suckers._

...

"Are we almost there yet?" asked the bulky man, whose patience was wearing thin. She had led them to an abandoned housing complex, probably destroyed by a recent earthquake.

Ino nodded sporadically, "It's just at the end of that alley over there."

The men looked at each other dubiously. There were no visible buildings beyond the alley and already, a few of them had the creeping suspicion that something was not right.

The man who had initially grabbed Ino's waist was the first to put all of the facts together. His brows furrowed in anger at the fact that they had been swindled by a pretty face. Again.

He snatched up Ino's wrist in one large hand and kept a tight grip. "Who do you ya take us for, sweetheart? We ain't stupid."

Ino squirmed in his grasp, "I-I d-don't know w-what y-you-"

"Don't play coy with us, girly." he snarled, "You work for THAT gang, don't you?"

"I-I've n-never b-been in a-any g-gang-"

He slapped her face, cutting off the rest of her sentence. Ino held a hand to her stinging cheek and told herself to stay calm, _They are here._

"So you're the little slut that they hired this time to do their dirty work." the others in the gang were stupidly confused. He grabbed a fistful of Ino's black wig and tore it from her head and revealed a long mane of golden locks which earned a gasp from the other men.

The Bulk was the first to speak, "You thought you could trick us into getting beat up in an alleyway, huh?"

Ino remained silent.

"You can't fool us twice, baby." he shook his head in false pity, "We know what your gang is capable of. Last week, a bunch of Cobra's lot was taken down by you. Said a little blonde tramp lured them into the old amusement park downtown, so nobody could see them. And then…"

Ino laughed contemptuously, her innocent facade had been ripped away as quickly as her wig. "And then we took pleasure in beating them up. Every. Single. One."

"Hold up." one person in the group asked fearfully, "She couldn't take down Cobra's boys all by herself. Where is her gang right now?"

"They're probably waiting for us in the alleyway." Bulky answered, "We should just take the girl and leave this place before they realize we're here."

"Nah, we've been following you the whole time, un." came a voice from behind the group which startled everyone. It belonged to a man with blonde hair equally as long as Ino. He wore a black jacket with red clouds. It was the colour of a bloody dawn. Akatsuki.

One of the men looked back at Ino, "You have a twin sister?"

Deidara frowned, "For fuck's sake, I'm a guy! And for your information, we're not related in the slight-"

Bulky man took this opportunity to punch Deidara square in the jaw, instantly shutting him up. The sound of a fist coming into contact with a face was so loud that Ino was afraid he had snapped his neck in the process.

"Ow." Deidara rubbed his jaw. "Easy on the face. How am I supposed to attract women with a bruise the size of my dick, un? I'm gonna sue you for th-"

"Shut up already, Deidara. Or we'll never accomplish anything." Sasori. Ino breathed out a sigh of relief. If he was here, that meant they were safe.

"Nobody likes you Sasori." Deidara mumbled under his breath.

Suddenly two more figures emerged from the shadows, instantly taking out a few Scorpion members by surprise. Itachi and Kisame.

Kisame grinned diabolically, "Let's save the chit-chat for later."

Itachi nodded solemnly. "Agreed."

Ino watched as all four of them lunged at the remainder of their terrified prey. _Beautiful,_ she thought to herself as she leaned against a wall contentedly.

 _And God created great whales, and every living creature that moves, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good._

 _..._

The fight didn't take very long in the end. Even Bulky didn't put up much of a fight. As soon as he saw that the rest of his gang had been KO-ed, he surrendered and ran away, leaving behind his so-called friends. It was an anti-climax for all of them, Itachi not included. For someone who ranked so highly in a notorious gang, he immensely disliked violence.

Deidara was livid, "I asked for a fun night, Sasori. I only got punched once!"

Sasori rolled his eyes, "You're a real masochist, you know that?"

"I got no idea what that is but it's coming from you, so it must be something bad." Deidara huffed.

"Do you know what's really bad?" Kisame added, "The fact that we only swiped 500 yen from all of those losers combined. The boss is not going to happy about this."

"It's fine, we'll take a few of them back to headquarters and rough them up a little. Get them to talk. They've got to have cash stowed away somewhere at home."

"That's not the point, Sasori," said Kisame, "Boss told us not to take hostages this time. We're at risk of them finding out our location. What if one of them calls the cops on us after we let them go?"

"We kill them." Sasori stated as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"No." Itachi said firmly, "I thought I told you very clearly that we do not kill anyone. Akatsuki may be an illegal organization but we still have a moral compass."

"Moral compass my ass, un." Deidara scoffed, "You lost your morality long ago, Itachi. What you did was worse than anything we ever tried."

Itachi's expression remained impassive, "I know that. But I stand by what's left of my morals."

Deidara barked out a harsh laugh, unconvinced. "Whatever. I'm going home. Ino?"

Ino nodded wearily and followed him past the crumbling buildings, half-heartedly waving goodbye to the other men. She was not allowed access to Akatsuki's classified information since she was still fairly new. They would have never even taken her in if it wasn't for Deidara. Her combat skills were not as good as his but he was the one who told Pein that they could use her as bait. She was a pretty good actress after all.

"How about you and I treat ourselves to some barbecue pork?" Deidara suggested as they walked past a couple of restaurants.

"I can't, I'm on a diet."

"But you're stick thin, un. Guys tend to like girls with more flesh anyways."

"I'm not doing it for a guy or for losing weight. I just want to try and eat healthier."

"You left that life behind. We can't afford to eat healthy. If you still think you can be extra virgin oil Mary with the rent money we owe Kankuro, you've got another thing coming."

"No need to remind me, Peabrain" Ino snapped.

"So then what the hell? Let's go and stuff ourselves with some greasy pig fat."

"Deidara." she put her hands on her hips, or as Deidara liked to call it, her Prissy Pose, "When a girl says she does not want to eat something, you do not force her to…" Ino trailed off, her attention on something else.

"What?" Deidara asked, "You don't force her to what? Choke it down?"

Ino made an annoyed 'tsk' sound at his intended innuendo, her way of telling him to shut up and she pushed him out her way. Deidara followed her line of vision to see what the fuss was about.

She was staring at a young couple across the road leaving a fancy Tokyo cuisine. The woman's hair was so black it appeared blue in the light of the street lamps and she wore an elegant lilac chiffon dress. The man's hair was equally as dark which matched the colour of his clearly expensive suit. Deidara found himself gawking at them as well and understood why Ino was suddenly speechless. They were just both so aesthetically pleasing to look at.

But despite their outward beauty, something in their expressions told them that the couple was not having a great time. In fact, as they watched more intently, the two of them seemed to be in mid-argument. Deidara did not even notice that Ino had already dragged him across the road with her to listen in on their conversation. There's something about rich people that draws you to them. Literally and metaphorically.

"Can you even hear what they're saying?" Deidara asked as they hid behind the wall nearest to the restaurant. The couple was just a few feet away from them.

"The girl said something about a transaction." Ino whispered back, "I think they're making a business deal."

"What, is she selling?"

"Highly doubt it. She talks like a real lady." Ino listened more closely.

"…always about your father. You need to stand up for yourself more if you want…" she heard the man say.

Ino turned back to Deidara, "I think she has Daddy issues."

Deidara shrugged, "Don't we all?"

"Fair point." she turned back to the conversation.

"…I-I c-can't right now. I n-need to help Neji get enough money for his class-" the woman stammered.

The man made a disparaging noise, "Stop worrying about him so much. We can help him."

"But if I-I disobey my father, I can't help Neji-"

"Can you stop talking about your damned cousin for one second?" he snapped, causing even Ino to jump. He then began again in a calmer voice "Okay this was never about Neji. I know I'm selfish. I'm not proud of it."

Silence.

"I'd rather see others suffer than have you obey them for the rest of your life."

More silence.

"I want you. Hinata." he said so quietly that Ino was amazed she was able to hear it.

"S-Sasuke-" the woman, Hinata, started to speak but from the muffled tone of her voice, it sounded like he had stopped her mouth with a kiss.

Deidara and Ino looked at each other awkwardly as they both realized what was going on.

"N-no!" Hinata sobbed as she escaped from his grasp, "You're delusional, Sasuke Uchiha! You have so many other girls t-to choose from. Leave me alone now." a soft click of heels indicated to the snooping pair that Hinata was walking away.

"Is this about Naruto?" the man, Sasuke demanded. The clicking sound stopped. She had stopped.

"Don't you dare pin this on him." Hinata warned, her voice no longer hesitant, "You know very well that we are just friends-"

"Such good friends that you visit him in his apartment at night?" Sasuke said, deadpan. "Does he pay you for your services or do you pay him?"

The slap cut through the night air like a knife through butter. Ino had to stop Deidara from laughing and giving away their position. But quite frankly, she could see that this Sasuke guy deserved the slap and silently applauded the timid girl.

They couldn't hear what Hinata whispered next but judging by how the clicking of her heels had resumed promptly, she clearly got the final word.

They remained silent for a few minutes, waiting to see what the man would do next. Would he chase after her or not?

Suddenly Sasuke's phone rang, scaring all of them. "What is it, Naruto?" he demanded as he walked towards where they were hiding.

Deidara nudged Ino excitedly, "It's the other man!"

"Shut. Up. You. Idiot." Ino whispered as she whacked him on the shoulder. "Shit, I can hear him getting closer. What do we do? What if he sues us for listening in on their conversation?"

"Just pretend we're making out or something."

"I am NOT making out with you."

"I said pretend, you wuss." he said as he backed against the wall, covering both their faces with each others' long hair. "Now make some dirty sounds."

Ino punched him hard in the chest, causing him to groan. "That's good. Now my turn."

"Wait what're you-hahahahahaha oh my god stop tickling me! Ahahahahaha!" Ino gasped, hitting Deidara's head now.

Deidara made a face as he pinned down Ino's fists, "Okay okay, I'll stop. You don't sound sexy at all when being tickled."

Ino was about to make an indignant remark but Sasuke's shadow could already be seen so Deidara quickly lifted Ino onto a trash can and pulled her legs around his waist, burying his face in her neck. Ino seemed to get the memo because she had started making some very convincing sounds of pleasure, all the while hiding her facing with her hair.

"…told you to leave the paperwork to Shikamaru. He knows what he is doing…" Sasuke said as he passed them and cut their corner. "And no, Sakura is not currently with me…" his voice faded away as he moved from their sight.

Through strands of her hair, Ino saw that he had not paid them the slightest bit of attention.

"He must be a robot." Deidara commented as soon as he placed Ino back on the ground, "No normal guy would just ignore two people making out on the streets."

Ino paid no attention to his ramblings, "He looks really familiar."

Deidara shrugged, "They all look like that. If I had a shit load of money, I would probably cut my hair too."

"No you wouldn't."

"Yeah true." Deidara grinned, "Did you see that girl's eyes though?"

"What about them?"

Deidara's eyes widened, "How did you not notice? They were like two freakishly large moons. White eyes, Ino. White!"

"Well she isn't blind, so what's the big deal?"

Deidara smirked, "It's kinda hot, un."

"One of these days, you will surprise me and reply with something much less predictable and Deidara-esque." Ino sighed.

"Here's an idea." Deidara exclaimed suddenly, "Why don't we each snag ourselves a rich brat?"

Ino looked at him incredulously. "Do you mean to say…?"

"You go seduce the hot rich guy and I'll go seduce the hot rich girl."

"No." came Ino's instant reply.

"Oh come on. We're both pretty good-looking. What's not to like, un?"

Ino pretending to think hard, "Hmm, I don't know. Maybe it's because we lack style, class and money?"

Deidara remained adamant, "You heard the girl, right? This Sasuke dude is probably one of the most sought-after bachelors in this country. You can work your charm on him. Haven't you watched Pretty Woman?"

Ino made a face, "Did you just compare me to a hooker?"

Deidara scratched his head, "Not intentionally but pretty much."

Ino crossed her arms, "Okay. And how the hell are you going to work your charm on the girl? She probably only goes out with guys like Mr Asshole. You on the other hand…"

"Relax. She clearly doesn't like assholes like him. Besides, all the good girls want a bad boy that they can change for the better. That Sasuke guy is past saving already so she-"

"Hold on." Ino held up a hand, "Did she call him Sasuke _Uchiha_?"

Deidara thought for a second before his eyes widened. "Oh my shit. She did."


	3. Chapter 2: Garden of Platonic Friendship

**Chapter 2: The Garden of Platonic Friendship**

 _So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground._

Hinata Hyuga tapped her fingers lightly against the edge of table number 7. Whether it was because she was nervous or just impatient for the food to come already, she had no idea. Probably both. No. Hinata Hyuga did not get nervous. _Must_ not get nervous.

 _Stop fidgeting,_ she heard her father's authoritarian voice in her head, _It's terribly unladylike and only shows off your worst qualities. From just your body language, I can deduce that you are cowardly, weak and useless. How do you expect to effectively negotiate with top business enterprises if you look like you want to be somewhere else?_

 _Ah but that's the point, Father,_ Hinata thought to herself, _I_ do _want to be somewhere else._

 _No talking back!_ Her imaginary Father snapped. Hinata sighed sadly. She was having a conversation with herself. In her head. Again.

And she still lost the argument.

Feeling immensely disappointed with herself for the fourteenth time today, Hinata downed a glass of champagne and set it back gently in its place, now gently tapping the glass. She made a face at the sour and pretentious taste of the drink at the back of her throat. She preferred flavored cider, the kind that came in cheap, colorful bottles, which she hid under her bed alongside her stash of vodka.

When she was younger, she used to take a few shots before her father introduced her to important business partners. It helped her loosen up a bit and seem confident in front of strangers. Luckily she had an unusually high alcohol tolerance and would be extra careful to strategically cover the stench with perfume. Her father undoubtedly knew about her little tradition but he never confronted her about it- he probably realized that alcohol was the only way to make her sociable and left it at that.

However, by the time Hinata was eighteen, she developed a habit of drinking each time her father needed her to talk to guests at his parties, which only grew in size and frequency as his business connections expanded. She knew the drill. Two shots before the guests arrived. Three shots separated throughout the evening, disguised as bathroom breaks. One shot before her father's speech. Another just after her father's speech. By then she would be tipsy enough to initiate conversation. Not that anyone ever noticed.

She clenched her fist around her glass. Hinata Hyuga did not drink away her problems… at least not anymore.

"You look more depressed than usual." she heard a mildly amused voice from behind her.

Hinata resisted the urge to hurl the empty glass at the source of the sound. Maybe her cutlery too. And the rest of the tableware.

In the end, she simply replied with a quiet "Mm-hm." _Great communication skills there, Hinata. You really dazzled him with your wit._

However, as the man in question came into view, she felt bad for ever thinking about hurting him. Although Sasuke Uchiha was an absolute scumbag in public, he was just the usual dick around his friends. His tiny group of patient, supportive, unbelievable kind, faithful, not-deserved-by-a-bastard-like-him-and-really-should-go-see-a-therapist-before-it-is-too-late friends.

Hinata sat up straight as if her father had just barked an order at her to look more presentable. Still looking down at her plate, Hinata forced herself to be slightly more civil than usual. After all, Sasuke was one of her only friends as well. The downside to being rich; you never know who to trust unless they earn the same amount of money as you do.

"What brings you here, Sasuke?" she asked him politely, trying not to look him in the eyes. There was something unnerving about the way he stared at people and even though she had known him for a few years already, she could never grow accustomed to it.

Sasuke sat himself down in front of her. As she lifted her head slightly to look at him she could see that he was smiling. Or at least, Sasuke's equivalent of a smile. To a bystander, it would have been more like a grimace.

He took his time to answer, as always and busied himself with pouring a drink. Finally, he spoke, "I came to talk to you."

Now she really wanted to hit him. _He always has to state the obvious and leave out as much detail as possible. He's even worse than me._ "About what?" she asked in as friendly a tone as she could.

Sasuke shrugged nonchalantly, "Whatever you want." he took up the menu and started reading intensely.

 _Is he trying to make small talk?_ Hinata forced herself to look at him, trying to figure out exactly what it was that he wanted. This happened every time they were alone together. Naruto and Sakura usually did all of the talking while they listened and made small contributions to the discussions. They maintained a silent friendship where they met up at the park and read a book each side by side. Small talk was not part of the deal.

"Um, okay." Hinata searched for something to say, "Oh, Sakura mentioned yesterday that you got a promotion?"

Sasuke never took his eyes off the menu, "Hn. I guess I did."

Hinata smiled encouragingly, "Congratulations! We all knew you could do it. Kakashi must be so proud of you."

"Probably."

Hinata was never much of a conversationalist but even she could have thought of a more appropriate response: _Thank you, Hinata. And yes, Kakashi was indeed very happy. How kind of you to ask._

 _Actually,_ Hinata thought, _I wouldn't know how to respond to a Sasuke if he was like that. A friendly Sasuke is much too terrifying. I'll just have to lead the conversation. But what do I say? We never really talk so why is he suddenly…?_

"Did you want to order something to eat?" she finally blurted out.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow and lifted up his menu as if to tell her, _Yes, you stupid girl. Why else would I be reading the menu?_

"Oh. Right." Hinata felt foolish and increasingly frustrated with Sasuke's behavior. He should know by now that she was just as quiet as he was. Why did he suddenly want to talk? Was silent company not enough?

She decided to try one last time. If his reply was decent, she would reward him with dessert. If not, he could go fuck himself for all she cared.

"How are things with Sakura?" she asked cautiously, "Is she fitting in with your co-workers?"

This caught Sasuke's attention as his head lifted faster than she previously thought him capable of. Although she could not tell for sure whether he was happy to discuss the matter. His dark eyes began to search her own for any underlying motive she might have. Why did he always have to suspect the worst in everyone? Now Hinata felt so uncomfortable that she regretted saying anything to him.

Much to her surprise, his reply was unusually long. "Sakura is doing well. She manages to pass almost everything Miss Senju throws at her. I believe she can be a very useful member of our junior management committee." he picked up his fork and held it to the light, inspecting it as if he doubted the hygiene of a high-class restaurant (albeit one that ordinary citizens could still afford). "Naruto on the other hand…" he trailed off, giving Hinata a disappointed look which summed up all he wanted to say.

Hinata laughed good-naturedly, "That's Naruto for you. But we love him anyways."

"Tch. I never loved him. That was all you."

"S-Sasuke…!" Hinata began to protest.

"You're blushing."

"I am not!"

"Whatever you say."

"He was just my childhood crush. You remember what it was like at high school, he never paid much attention to me before."

"Yeah. Before you grew…" Sasuke began but after he saw how unbelievably red Hinata was becoming, he amended the original ending of his sentence, "…longer hair."

"I grew it out because Sakura told me you liked girls with long hair and so I thought that Naruto would be the same."

"Well, she was right."

"Right about what? You liking girls with long hair or Naruto liking girls with long hair?"

"Naruto." he replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world, "Personally, I don't think hair length should define your attraction to someone. It's superficial and annoying."

"I don't think it defines your attraction. It's more like a trigger."

Sasuke gave her a confused look, "Explain."

"Well, I think it's too simplistic to say that Naruto's attraction to long hair is superficial because in reality, aren't we are all drawn to things that are societally considered desirable or beautiful? If Naruto likes a girl with long hair from a distance, it's simply human nature and we shouldn't shame him for that. Ultimately, these outward appearances are what push us to talk to others and make new friends if the attraction is no longer there. There is really no harm in meeting someone new. If Naruto decides that he does in fact like both the girl and her personality, then his happiness is what matters. Do you kind of understand where I'm coming from?"

Sasuke nodded slowly. Too slowly for her to believe him.

Then he inadvertently asked a nearby waiter to take his order.

Hinata sighed. Sasuke was never really good with empathy. Maybe they were more different than she originally thought.

* * *

"I can't believe you just finished two large platters of sashimi. By yourself."

Hinata was thoroughly impressed with herself. She had singlehandedly caused The Sasuke Uchiha to go through more facial expressions than he had possibly ever experienced in his whole life. She watched as Sasuke's eyes widened after she ordered the second king-sized plate of neatly arranged salmon and how his jaw dropped when she tucked in without batting an eyelash or giving any indication that she was full. Now she was waiting for her ramen and Sasuke was gaping at her in horror.

Nonetheless, she could not help but feel slightly self-conscious of his staring. "I like fish." was the only answer she could give him.

"Hn." Sasuke blinked a few times before remembering that he had hardly eaten any of his food; just a measly bowl of miso soup with some soba noodles. He cleared his throat as he picked up his chopsticks. "Do you come here to eat very often?"

Hinata was surprised by his question but glad that he was being more talkative, "Why yes. Father says that I should always dine at Michelin-star restaurants but they only provide small portions of food so…"

"I see." Sasuke stated solemnly. "Is that why you're here today?"

Hinata pressed her forefingers together nervously. "Uh actually, I'm sort of…maybe…hiding from my father."

"Because…?"

"…I might have ditched the date he set up for me and Toneri Otsutsuki."

Sasuke frowned, "The son of the Tenseigan Hotels CEO?"

"Uh huh."

"Ah. So it was a potential merger opportunity." Hinata nodded awkwardly. Sasuke would understand all too well how people like Hiashi Hyuga worked. His father had been one of the most notorious in the business.

Before.

"Toneri is a lovely man but I just don't think it's right."

"What? You being in a relationship with him"

"No. Not that. The idea of two people forced to meet someone when they are not ready."

"Then why don't you just tell your father that you don't want to do it?"

"You know I can't." Hinata lowered her voice slightly, "The funding for Neji's martial arts school is still low."

"I thought Shikamaru and Shino were helping him set that up." Sasuke said, matching her quiet voice.

Hinata shook her head, "Even though my father kicked him out, he still has control over the money my uncle left behind before he died. After Neji was disowned, I had to persuade him to at least give Neji an allowance so that he wouldn't struggle by himself. It worked but if I turned against my father, neither of us would have enough money to get by."

"How do you plan to get out of it?"

"I recently signed with a director."

Sasuke's eyes grew wide, "You're pursuing your acting career again?"

Hinata preoccupied herself with inspecting her fingernails, "It's the best thing to do right now." Sasuke knew better than to recall the details of her past as a young film star. All of her friends knew that she had received too much-unwanted attention from older men and they speculated that she had been sexually harassed many times, which was why she left the public eye in the first place.

Sasuke was quiet for a minute before he spoke again, "So what do you want?"

Hinata furrowed her brows, "What do you mean?"

Sasuke almost rolled his eyes, "I mean, what would you want for yourself if your father wasn't ordering you about all the time?"

"Oh." Hinata looked down at her empty plate. "I guess… I never really thought about it."

Sasuke opened his mouth to retort something but Hinata beat him to it, "No. That's a lie. I've thought about it a lot. I just never thought that I would have ever the freedom to do whatever I wished. If Father is not there to, as you said, order me about, the rest of the Hyugas, particularly my grandfather, would put me in my place. It's like the fate of a caged bird, I suppose. She has to sing for her food within bars." HInata forced out a laugh but it sounded more like a hiccup.

Sasuke had an unreadable expression on his face but his silence indicated that he sympathized with her and that he understood her struggle. _I really am starting to enjoy his company._ Hinata thought to herself happily.

She smiled warmly at him and she decided to change the subject, "Ah but enough about me, how is your-"

"Marry me, Hinata." Sasuke deadpanned.

 _Or not._

Hinata was having trouble processing his words. _What did he just say? Did he just mention marriage? I wonder who he is planning to marry. Wait. He said my name. Did I say something wrong? Hold on…_

Hinata was so lost in thought that she did not even notice when their server set down her piping hot ramen on the table.

"Wait. You… are asking me… to…to…"

Sasuke did roll his eyes this time, "I'm not going to say it again."

Suddenly it clicked. "WHAT?" Hinata practically yelled, causing a few nearby customers to jump.

Sasuke grit his teeth and stood up, taking her by the arm and dragging her as well as her bag and coat away from the table after he paid for the food. Including the ramen that Hinata had not touched.

"Ah, Sasuke." Hinata protested, "Wait, I haven't finished my-ow- my ramen. My arm…Sasuke, that hurts! Where are we even going?"

He did not stop until the two of them had just reached the entrance of the restaurant, where nobody could hear them. Then he let go.

"Do you want my help or not?" he demanded.

Hinata was even more confused, "Wait. I thought you were proposing?"

Sasuke pressed his fist against his forehead in frustration, "Of course I am! Can't you see that I'm offering you a way out in the process?"

"B-but…it's all t-too sudden." Hinata was beginning to stutter. A sure sign that she was nervous. "Why do you like me?"

"Because you're beautiful." Sasuke practically spat, "Isn't that what girls like to hear?"

Hinata looked at him incredulously, "L-Listen, Sasuke. I don't know w-what's gotten into you but I will n-not let you talk to me like-" he cut her off promptly.

"Do you want to help your cousin?"

"Yes, of course, I-"

"Do you want to be independent of your father?"

"Well yes but-"

"Then do yourself a favor and open your eyes. I can help Neji finance his school. I can help you develop the future you want. Just marry me."

Hinata stared blankly into his dark eyes which were now full of pent-up passion, "What's in it for you?" she asked suspiciously.

Sasuke hesitated as if he did not want to disclose that information. "Saving a friend." he finally said.

Hinata was stunned by how heartfelt his answer was. Was this the real Sasuke Uchiha? A man who would do anything to help his friends regardless of the price he would have to pay?

Hinata took a step back, "B-But this is too much. I couldn't possibly let you do all of this f-for me."

Sasuke gave her an annoyed look, "Tch. I'm the one that wants to marry you. This was my decision."

Hinata wanted to believe him but something was off. Even though she did not know Sasuke well enough, he was not the kind of person to marry someone he barely spoke to.

"I…I-I should go." she hurried out of the door with Sasuke following close behind her, "M-my father will b-be expecting an explanation for m-my absence."

"Oh so now we're back to this. You see? In the end, it's always about your father. You need to stand up for yourself more if you want to earn your place as the Hyuga heiress." he taunted, knowing very well how much she hated that title.

Hinata was furious but it only worsened her stuttering, "I-I c-can't right now! I n-need to help Neji get enough money for his class-"

"Stop worrying about him so much. He can fend for himself." Sasuke snapped.

Hinata refused to let him dismiss her efforts. If only she could control her stammering. "But if I-I disobey my father, I can't help Neji-"

"Can you stop talking about your damn cousin for one second!" Hinata was so shocked that she forgot what she was saying. Sasuke may have been a cold bastard in the past but he had never raised his voice at her. It was the unspoken rule within their silent friendship.

Sasuke flinched at his own outburst. He made an effort to sound gentler. "Okay, this was never about Neji. I know I'm selfish. I'm not proud of it." he confessed quietly.

Hinata's mouth opened and closed a few times before she gave up speaking altogether.

"I'd rather see others suffer than have you obey them for the rest of your life."

Stunned, Hinata had no idea where this conversation was going. _Does he really care about me? I never thought-_

"I want you. Hinata." he almost whispered, his dark eyes piercing through the paleness of her lavender orbs.

Her entire body screamed at her to run. Run before he did something they would both regret. But Sasuke caught on to what she was about to do and quickly hooked his arm around her waist.

The proximity of his face to hers scared her. She quickly regained her voice, "S-Sasuke-" but it was drowned out against Sasuke's lips on hers.

Every instinct in her body told her to scream and run away but his breath was so warm and inviting. She fell into a trance at the sensation of his beautifully shaped lips tracing her own. His fingertips tickled the soft fabric making up the back of her dress. Hinata almost gave in completely to him but as soon as she felt herself pressed up against the cold brick wall, she was reminded of something else. Someone else. Another man with black hair and dark eyes. Cruel eyes.

She pushed Sasuke away in terror, "N-no!" she was almost in tears, "You're delusional, Sasuke Uchiha! You have so many other girls t-to choose from. Leave me alone now." she started to walk away.

"Is this about Naruto?" Hinata stopped walking and slowly turned to face Sasuke again. _How dare he bring this up?_

"Don't you dare pin this on him" Hinata warned, her stammer suddenly disappearing, "You know very well that we are just friends-"

"Such good friends that you visit him in his apartment at night?" Sasuke said cynically, his eyes narrowing cruelly. "Does he pay you for your services or do you pay him?"

Hinata slapped him as soon as the last word left his mouth. Sasuke did not even flinch. He had been expecting her to take out her anger on him. By now both of them were staring hard at one another, sizing each other up like two gladiators.

Hinata was too tired to continue. Sasuke had come to find her for a specific reason. He was a practical man so an emotional confession felt out of place. This would only mean he had some other intentions. For now, she simply put a hand on his shoulder and whispered in his ear, "I don't know what you're trying to achieve but if it's to play with my feelings then congratulations. I've been played."

Sasuke was expressionless but Hinata turned away for good. She never expected to receive a reaction from him anyways. She just wanted to go home and forget about what had just happened.

And what had happened five years ago.

 **A/N: Hey guys! So this is actually my first Naruto fic and I can't wait for you to find out what happens in this story. In terms of pairings, I'm just going to be frank and tell you that I have a rough idea of who the "endgames" are etc. HOWEVER, I only have the outline of the story (which is sort of more important than who ends up with who ;)) so I can be flexible and take suggestions as to how you would like the relationships to develop. Also, I live off reviews so please please please comment or give me any (friendly) guidance you wish.**

 **I'm also curious to know about your theories so don't hesitate to share any deep/brief analysis of the characters and plot or whatnot. I love to hear what you all think!**


	4. Chapter 3: It's A Man's World

**Chapter 3: It's A Man's World**

The phone was ringing. Shikamaru picked up. "Sharingan Incorporated Main Office speaking. How may I be of service today?"

"Hello, may I speak to Sasuke?" The voice was eager and sounded very worried. Shikamaru predicted it was most likely another fangirl.

He decided to remain civil for the time being. "Who is this?"

"I'm a friend of Hinata's. It's very urgent." That was a surprise. Hinata and Sasuke were not publicly known to hang out together. Only a select number of people knew that they were friends. Maybe Sasuke did know this one after all. But still, he had to be careful. There were too many spies in this line of work…

"Why would you call Sasuke's work?" he asked suspiciously, "Don't you have his number?"

The girl only scoffed, "Of course not. I'm Hinata's friend, not Sasuke's. This is the only number I could get a hold of since Hinata didn't want me to confront him."

"About what?"

"About making her cry last night."

Shikamaru's eyes widened, surprised that Hinata would be so quick to tell someone else about what happened the night before and also concerned that his old friend had been so upset.

"Is she alright?" he asked.

"Of course not!" Shikamaru flinched at the shrill sound of her voice, "The bastard practically harassed her. She says she never wants to see him again."

Shikamaru was slightly reluctant to believe that Hinata would say something as dramatic as that but this girl clearly knew what was going on.

"Can I speak to her?"

The other end of the phone was silent. The next time she spoke, her voice was full of suspicion, "Who are _you_?" she asked accusingly.

Shikamaru chuckled, "No need to take that tone with me. I'm Hinata's best friend. She must talk about me a lot right?" It was a blatant lie but he had be double sure that this woman was acquainted with Hinata. Anyone close to her would know that her best friend was Naruto. The girl never failed to praise him at any given opportunity.

Shikamaru waited for her to take the bait. But she simply laughed, "Yeah right. She has never mentioned you even once to me. She literally only talks about this Naruto guy. If you have a crush on her or something, I suggest you back off because she is clearly not interested."

"No, of course not. Although I am hurt that Hina does not talk about me." Shikamaru sighed. She really must be one of Hinata's friends.

"Considering how lovely she is, Hinata must have too many friends to tell me about. That is, if you truly are Hinata's friend."

Shikamaru pressed his lips together in moderate annoyance. Now he was going to have to convince this girl that he was really a friend of Hinata's. _What a drag._

"Miss, I don't have time for this. I need to get back to work so just leave me a message and I'll pass it on to Sasuke."

"No."

 _For God's sake…_

"Why not?"

"Because this is a personal matter. From all I can tell, you are simply Sasuke's employee. Since you are their friend, surely you know that Hinata and Sasuke would both hate to mix their personal lives with work, wouldn't you agree?"

Shikamaru didn't know whether he could agree or not. Both Sasuke and Hinata were too reserved and quiet for him to know what they hated or loved. The two of them clearly liked to keep to themselves but recently he wasn't so sure. Especially considering the fact that Sasuke was going to…

"Alright, fine." Shikamaru replied, "I will ask Sasuke to call you back when he returns to the office."

"Thank you very much." She replied, completely chipper, "You'd better make good on that promise, Mr…?"

"Nara. Shikamaru Nara." He replied and then wondered why he had given this stranger his name so easily.

"Well Mr Nara, I hope Hinata gets a chance to introduce us in the near future."

Now Shikamaru found himself smiling. "Likewise, Miss…?"

"Sabaku. Temari Sabaku."

* * *

"Temari?" Sasuke thought hard about it when he came back. "It sounds familiar but I don't know her personally."

 _So she wasn't lying after all_ , Shikamaru thought to himself. "That's what she said. She said she is friends with Hinata but she doesn't really know you."

"Did she tell you why she called?" Sasuke asked.

"It seems that she is upset about you hurting Hinata in some way."

Sasuke furrowed his brows, "Hinata is already telling people about it? Besides, if anyone was hurt, it was me. She slapped me."

"Yes, I know that." Shikamaru rolled his eyes, "But you were the one who fucked up in the first place. You were too harsh on her according to the Sabaku woman."

Shikamaru thought he saw a hint of guilt in Sasuke's eyes but as always, his pride took precedence over his emotions. "I only did what I had to do."

"By calling her a whore?"

"I never called her a whore." Sasuke insisted.

"You must have implied it."

"What does that matter anyways? 88% of people sell their bodies in all different ways to get what they want and to live a good life in this world. I was merely commenting on human nature."

Shikamaru shook his head in disappointed awe, "If only your fanclub could hear you now. You wouldn't be as marketable once they realise how much charm you lack."

"I don't give a shit about their stupid fantasies. I have my goals and as long as they don't get in the way of them, they can live in my office for all I care."

Silence.

"Don't tell Naruto I said that. He might actually let them into my office."

Shikamaru chuckled, "Of course not. So are you going to call her or not?"

"I should call Hinata first." Sasuke moved to take out his iPhone from his pocket but Shikamaru grabbed his forearm.

"Are really that clueless? You're probably the last person Hinata wants to speak to right now. I suggest you talk to her friend first and try to make amends slowly through her."

Sasuke blinked confusedly. "Why?"

"That woman is not going to let you call Hinata just yet. She told me that Hinata is currently staying at her place and she is not in a good shape."

"Are you blaming me for that?" Sasuke challenged him.

Shikamaru sighed, "No. She clearly had her own troubles before your little date fiasco."

"She told me she was going to pick up her acting career again."

Shikamaru stared at him disbelievingly, "You can't be serious."

"She told me herself last night." Sasuke said casually.

"After all the shit she went through back then, now she wants to go back to that?"

Sasuke shrugged, "If she is ready I don't think we have any right to change her decision."

Shikamaru scoffed, "That's rich coming from the man who tried to pressurise her into marriage."

Sasuke glared at him, "That's different."

"Of course. It's always different when Sasuke Uchiha can make a profit."

Sasuke was silent for a few seconds. Then he picked up his work phone and dialled the number Shikamaru had written down for him.

As he waited for the speaker on the other side to pick up, Sasuke held Shikamaru's stare with defiance. Shikamaru was reminded of what Naruto had once told him, "If Sasuke decides to do something, that thing will be done."

Sasuke maintained eye contact with him even when he began to speak, "This is Sasuke Uchiha. I would like to arrange an appointment with you, Miss Sabaku. I decide when and where we meet. No negotiations."

 _Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being._


	5. Chapter 4: An Apple a Day

**Chapter 4: An Apple a Day Keeps the Devil Away**

 _The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. And the Lord God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die."_

"And you are sure that this facade will work?" Gaara asked, a light trail of cigarette smoke wafted from his lips as he spoke.

"Yes, sir." the woman replied firmly, "Our investigation into the matter shows that Sharingan is currently looking for a company to back them financially. Ever since Sasuke Uchiha was announced to take over from his mentor, CEO Kakashi Hatake, there was a noticeable drop in support for Sharingan-"

"Serves them right." Gaara muttered.

The woman continued, "-despite their efforts to redeem themselves to the public. It would seem that the people do not easily forget past misdemeanours."

Gaara simply took another drag of his cigarette without saying a word.

The woman pressed on with her report. "There is also evidence to show that Mr Uchiha intends to marry Ms Hinata Hyuga. As the future heiress of her father's billion dollar company, Byakugan, it is likely that the only thing he seeks to gain from her is her wealth."

Gaara chuckled slightly, "Are you sure about that? I hear that Hinata Hyuga used to be quite a beauty during her days as an actress."

The woman hesitated, "So far we are simply speculating. It is possible that Mr Uchiha may be emotionally involved with Ms Hyuga but-"

" -But you do not yet have the evidence for it." Gaara finished her sentence as she nodded hesitantly, "I understand. Continue."

"As I was saying, sir, two members of the Akatsuki and your own sister have confirmed that Mr Uchiha has already proposed to Ms Hyuga."

Gaara stared at her with expressionless eyes, "Yes, I am aware. Although I curious as to how she managed to find out."

"As you know, they have been close friends for a few years now." The woman plucked a notebook out from her handbag and flipped through its pages before settling on a particular section and dictating her notes. "In my interview with her this morning, Ms Sabaku said that she received a text yesterday from Ms Hyuga asking for her to meet her at a restaurant at 7pm. Ms Sabaku initially had to turn down her offer due to her schedule but she changed her mind at the last minute and went to meet her. When she arrived, she noticed Ms Hyuga standing outside the restaurant, apparently in heated conversation with Mr Uchiha. After they parted ways, Ms Sabaku started to go after Ms Hyuga but was approached by two Akatsuki members."

"The same ones that have presented this evidence?"

"Yes, sir."

"I see. Continue."

"The two Akatsuki members asked her if she knew Ms Hyuga and Mr Uchiha, the former of which she confirmed."

Gaara lightly tapped his fingers on the desk, "Not entirely true. She knows both of them. Although I personally would not like to associate myself with Mr Uchiha either."

"Of course not, sir."

"So, which members of the Akatsuki were they? Was it Kisame? Or perhaps, Mr Uchiha's very own estranged brother?"

"Neither, sir. It was Deidara and Ino."

Gaara furrowed his eyebrows, "The arsonist and a rookie? How did they find out about our relation to Sharingan?"

"It was pure coincidence, sir. Although, it was thanks to the initiative of one of them we even have all this information in the first place."

"I take it you mean the girl? From what I know, Deidara is notorious for his handling of explosives but it's no secret that he's a few sandwiches shy of a picnic."

The woman laughed politely, "It would seem so, sir. Deidara ran after the Ms Hyuga as soon as your sister confirmed she knew her. Ms Hyuga arrived safely at Ms Sabaku's apartment this morning as a result. Ino is the one she discussed the plan with."

Gaara paused a little to think before speaking again, "And you are sure that Temari approves of this?"

"Yes, sir."

"She approves of an imposter pretending to be her?"

"She and Ino are both willing to temporarily switch their identities, at least just until the plan comes to fruition."

Gaara leaned back against his chair and peered at the woman through the fog his smoke had formed between them, "Tell me, why do you refer to yourself in third person…Ms. Yamanaka?"

The woman slowly smiled, easily peeling away all previous semblance of discipline, and placed both hands on her hips. "Practice." She said with a diabolical grin.


End file.
